The best Spelling Bee of the year 2015 has been crowned
A student from the Triam Udom Suksa School has beaten more than 10,000 high-school competitors to win the national NJ Spelling Bee 2015.
Natchalai Viboonnantakit emerged as “Champ of the Year” in the national spelling competition.
“It’s a dream come true,” she said after winning the competition’s final round on Saturday.
The spelling champion won a prestigious trophy from HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and a once-in-a-lifetime scholarship for a four-week English-language course in the United States.
The first runner-up, meanwhile, received an English-language scholarship to study at Eltham College in Melbourne, while the regional winners and their instructors were all |awarded Hong Kong vacation packages.
“It’s the third time I joined the NJ Spelling Bee competition,” Natchalai said. “The first two times, I was not even a finalist.”
She thanked everyone who had supported her along the way, particularly the teachers who had tutored her.
NJ magazine – part of Nation Multimedia Group Public Company Limited – has organised its annual nationwide NJ Spelling Bee competition since 1998 with support from both the government and private sector. It has also been an integral player in the development of
English-language standards taught to Thai students for almost two decades.
Combining both the latest technology and the more traditional face-to-face participation, the 2015 NJ Spelling Bee began the search for Thailand’s top speller with an online selection in June before heading out on a nationwide roadshow to the North, Northeast, South and Central regions to find top regional contestants.
The qualification process involved several rounds of tests, which assessed contestants’ English proficiency using different methods, before the finalists could compete in the final round last weekend.
The 2015 NJ Spelling Bee Grand Nation Final was held on Saturday at the Pope John XXIII Conference Centre on Assumption University’s Suvarnabhumi campus. The Nation’s president Pana Janviroj, who is also chief executive officer of Nation International Edutainment, presided over the Grand National Final Competition format. – THE NATION
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